How many times have you gone to bed at night, and you swear you will go workout the next morning, and then change your mind only 8 hours later because when you wake up, you don't feel like exercising?
While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn't mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness -- and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you feed your body properly, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the right intensity, you will be telling your body that you are ready to burn a large amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy. In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism. Which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort. The real purpose of exercising is to send a repetitive message to your body that asks for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall health and fitness. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night. Exercise doesn't have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.
We recommend that you engage in regular cardio exercises, like walking or jogging four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes each session. Cardio is one of the most important parts of getting fit, and if you can't or won't go to the gym, try a game system that has great fitness programs like the Xbox Kinect or Wii. Resistance training should be done 4 times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach will provide a one-two punch by using aerobics to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase your lean body mass and burn more calories.
Here's a sample exercise program that may work for you:
Warm Up
Seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.
Resistance Training
Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Aerobic Exercises
Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and then 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.
Stretching
Wrap upyour exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating. When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.
- From 1 to 8 weeks -- You will feel better and have more energy.
- From 2 to 6 months -- You will be losing inches, clothing sizes and you will become more lean. Clothing will begin to fit more loosely. You will be gaining muscle and getting rid of fat.
Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don't stop there. You should be changing your diet and/or eating habits. If you count calories or calculate grams and percentages for some nutrients it is impractical. Instead, you should follow these guidelines:
- Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day
- Be sure that all your meals are balanced. Add in palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products. Fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and fruits
- Limit your fat intake to only what is needed for adequate flavor
- Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water during the day
- You should also take a multi vitamin every day to be sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for your body.
Its time to get in shape, whether you start with a brisk walk or jump on that Xbox your kids have and take in some sports!
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